“Mattering”
Sometimes I feel like we’re stones thrown to the sea, and ripples form around us. The ripples could go far, but at the end of the day, the ones that count are the ones nearest us.
At this point in my life, I know who belongs to the first, the second and third circles; and who falls farther. Some people are promoted, others are demoted, largely based on their intent and actual practice of keeping in touch.
In a world of acquaintances and random meetings, we certainly notice who makes the effort, and who responds to it - whether it’s an invitation or an email. Because in the end, if they don’t care about you, how could you care about them, and how life is treating them?
This is why I don’t the term "friend" loosely anymore. Some of them are simply acquaintances, colleagues - many are still strangers to me. The best friends are those who call just to check in, just to say hello or nothing at all.The ones who don’t even say their names, just the three familiar words, "Hey, It’s me." The ones who invite just to hang out - no project, no show, no event. Because in a city of goals and dreams and using other people to get to them, it’s a gift to hear from people who don’t want anything else than to be with you. These are the people who matter, because you matter to them too.
